Sorting out the power plugs for your Apple gear

Today, I spent the better half of the afternoon rearranging my Apple gear around on my desk. I do it every other month, as the amount of new gear generally translates to more clutter and more clutter equals to reduced productivity. If I wanted to knowingly handicap my productivity I’d use a Dell with Vista, but I am not that type of a guy. My list of Apple gear and gadgets connected to it is pretty long. I use two newer Apple Cinema monitors connected to my Mac Pro with a Macbook Pro by its side. Add the rest of the peripherals, and you get a wire spaghetti clutter that is very hard to manage. It is a genuine nightmare. Try to unplug and remove something from this mess and you will understand where I am coming from. Especially those bulky 3-pin electrical plugs we all learned to deal with. But what do you know about these plugs and electrical system of the UAE in general as well as your Mac’s electrical system requirements.

First lets talk about the electrical plug. UAE got this plug as a part of a bigger “package” the British brought and left here. As big and awkward looking these Type-G plugs are, they are actually pretty well engineered gadgets on their own. First of all, they are grounded, hence the 3-pin design. The ground pin is longer. It grounds the device that you are trying plug in before the live and neutral leads become connected. Besides that special duty, the ground pin, or on some appliances simply a plastic dud, opens up the shutters that prevent children and any other curious creatures from sticking something into the electrical socket. An awesome safety feature, if you ask me. The ground pin also enforces the correct orientation of the live and neutral pins, or polarization, which is fairly important. Improper orientation of live and neutral wires can not only cause damage to the device, but also present a shock hazard to anyone operating that it.

The Type-G plug is fused. That means that there is a fuse inside of the plug assembly. This feature  is there because British wiring standards allow for very high-current ring main circuits to the socket. Wait a minute, ring circuit? Without going too technical and getting cross-eyed in all this electrical madness, I will tell you what it means. If you have ever changed a wall socket or wired in a light switch here in the UAE, you might have noticed that there are usually more than two wires and a ground. Those additional wires carry the extra current. This wiring system has its advantages, but they don’t really translate into any type of a benefit to a typical end user. In general, having an extra fuse is a good thing, as it provides one more barrier of protection between your gadget and some wacky electrical mishap. All in all, Type-G uber plug is awesome if it was not for one simple downfall. It is just very bulky and generally very un-Apple. Few attempts have been made to reduce the profile size of the Type-G plug, most notably one designed by Art Lebedev that created some buzz over the summer. However, this remnant of the post World War II Britain will be around for a bit longer.

If you are asking yourself why did I make you read all this, read on. I feel that the info I have compiled could be of some use to some of you as we can sometimes find ourselves doing some minor electrical work around your home. Consequently, this info can and must be used to insure proper wiring of your Apple gear to the power grid.

Among the Apple gadgets that require AC electrical power are the following: Mac Pros, Macbooks, iMacs, Cinema displays,  Apple TVs, Time Capsules, Airports, iPod and iPhone chargers. Note that  all of their devices are 100-240V 50-60Hz and can be used worldwide. Things are very easy with the last 5 gadgets in this list. They all use 2-pin non-grounded non-polarized connections so you can pretty much plug them any way you like using any type of an adapter. Always make sure, however, that the connection is secure and not loose. I recommend using high quality adapters and extension cords. Avoid using the all-in-one adaptors. They are generally very flimsy and do not provide a solid connection. Apple TV, Airport Extreme and Time Capsule use a common power supply cord, so you can just source one with a plug that suits your particular needs. For Airport Extreme and iPod and iPhone charger, I recommend using a Type-G adapter that comes with Apple’s World Travel Adapter Kit. Unfortunately you cannot buy the adapters individually, so you will have to buy a whole kit. You can use other type of adapters, but then you loose the ergonomics and small size factor.

With the computer systems and monitors things are a bit different, but still pretty simple. We all have heard people complaining about being shocked via the aluminum bodies of their Macbooks or Cinema Displays. My Mac Pro would hum when touched, prior to me wiring it properly. These devices must be properly grounded and the live/neural  wire orientation must be properly followed. That means that you cannot just get a cheap US to European 2-pin plug adapter and use it. You could cause potential damage to your devices and zap yourself. Mac Pros, iMacs and Cinema display use standard computer power supply cables. You can get them with a Type-G plug on the end at most computer stores. Or, if you are like me and like Apple cables and want to preserve the stylishness of your white power cords, you can have your power cord rewired with a good Type-G socket. I don’t advise you do it if you have never done it, so consult a good electrician and please don’t sue me if you attempt to do it yourself using a butter knife. I warned you.

With MacBooks it is slightly more complicated, as you have to use the original power cord it came with if you want to have a long cord. That is because most people fail to realize that the Macbook power cord actually has a ground wire within it. If you look at the adapter, you will notice a metal mushroom that also acts a clip for the adapter. What this means is that you have to either rewire your cord to use a Type-G plug, use a stubby Type-G grounded adapter from the Apple’s World Travel Adapter Kit and give up the length of the cord or use a proper 3-pin adapter. You decide for yourself.

As I am finishing this article, I am starting to think why countries and companies cannot just standardize everything. It is slowly happening, as can be seen in Europe with its 2010 microUSB charger standard for all mobile phones sold in europe. I just wish it happened much faster. I personally nominate the North American Type-B electrical plug to serve the universal role. Those switchblade type Apple adapters are just too darn cool to be collecting dust in my desk.